WHO Scientific advisory group issues report on origins of COVID-19

The WHO Scientific Advisory Group for the Origins of Novel Pathogens (SAGO), a panel of 27 independent, international, multidisciplinary experts, today published its report on the origins of SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic.

SAGO has advanced the understanding of the origins of COVID-19, but as they say in their report, much of the information needed to evaluate fully all hypotheses has not been provided.

In its report, SAGO considered available evidence for the main hypotheses for the origins of COVID-19 and concluded that "the weight of available evidence...suggests zoonotic spillover...either directly from bats or through an intermediate host."

WHO requested that China share hundreds of genetic sequences from individuals with COVID-19 early in the pandemic, more detailed information about the animals sold at markets in Wuhan, and information on work done and biosafety conditions at laboratories in Wuhan. To date, China has not shared this information either with SAGO or WHO.

SAGO published its initial findings and recommendations in a report on 9 June 2022. Today's report updates that evaluation based on peer-reviewed papers and reviews, as well as available unpublished information and field studies, interviews, and other reports including audit findings, government reports and intelligence reports. SAGO convened in various formats 52 times, conducted briefings with researchers, academics, journalists, and others.

Venter also said there was no evidence to prove that COVID had been manipulated in a lab, nor was there any indication that the virus had been spreading before December 2019 anywhere outside of China.

"As the report says, this is not solely a scientific endeavour, it is a moral and ethical imperative," said Dr Marietjie Venter, Chair of the group and Distinguished Professor and One Health Research Chair in Vaccines and Surveillance for Emerging viral threats at the University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa.

"Understanding the origins of SARS-CoV-2 and how it sparked a pandemic is needed to help prevent future pandemics, save lives and livelihoods, and reduce global suffering."

The United States and Germany refused cooperation.

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Let's Decolonise the History of Mathematical Proofs!

To inquire into such a hotly debated question we might want to look at how past mathematicians tackled this question. This lecture will provide examples outside of what has been called a "colonial library", using in particular Sanskrit sources, to argue that mathematical texts from all over the world contained not only proofs but also many other types of mathematical reasoning whose stories still need to be documented.

Bundestag President Julia Klöckner has said rainbow Pride flags must be removed from deputies' offices. [_link]

— DW Politics (@dw_politics) July 14, 2025

Germany's chancellor supported the move not to fly the rainbow flag on the Reichstag building, saying "the Bundestag is not a circus tent."

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Sustainability and Climate - Our Planet

Securing a sustainable future: the climate change threat to agriculture, food security, and sustainable development goals | 11 July 2024 |

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M9.2 Alaska Earthquake and Tsunami of March 27, 1964

An omen for a historical event ...

...
Covered the 2004 quake off the cast of Banda Aceh and tsunami very intensely @dKos

Initially GWB wanted no relief from UN organizations ... US Armed Forces were "well equipped" to cover all aid to the region and care for possible victims.

20 Years Later: Remembering the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami (Photos)

A lookback on the deadliest natural disaster of the 21st century.

BANDA ACEH, Indonesia - A major earthquake struck off the west coast of Indonesia's Sumatra Island Daily Kos by creve coeur - 26 Dec. 2004

Worse, much worse beyond any imagination | creve coeur @dKos - 31 Dec. 2004 |

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Largest solar power plant in Iran opens | EuroNews - 31 July 2017 |

The newly opened Mokran Solar Power Plants Complex  is the latest proof of Iran's ambitions in renewable energy.

The country's biggest solar plant was constructed in the eastern province of Kerman in six months and has a capacity of 20 megawatts.

Made up of two 10 megawatts photovoltaic units, it was financed with 27 million dollars by the Swiss company Durion AG, and supervised by a German company, Adore.

The complex has been built with a total number of 76 thousand and 912 solar panels, each producing 260 watts in an area of 44 hectares.

Wild axolotls are being saved by... nuns and Aztec gardens

The axolotl is an amphibian with incredible regenerative abilities. It lives in only one place outside captivity: the waters of Lake Xochimilco, in Mexico City. Now, a team of scientists is working to secure its future by looking to its past. Working with local farmers, they're reconstructing a system of chinampas, or island gardens, pioneered by the Aztecs -- to restore the axolotl's habitat. A few hours' drive to the west, another team is working to save a closely related salamander species by teaming up with Dominican nuns who have raised the creatures in captivity for well over a century. The unusual alliances show that saving species can be as much about culture and heritage as it is about science.

Air India crash: Preliminary report focuses on cockpit fuel switch anomaly warned about in 2018 | Aerospace Global News - 12 July 2025 |

A fuel cutoff switch fault recorded seconds after takeoff is at the heart of the Air India crash probe. Investigators are examining whether the cockpit switches, flagged in a 2018 FAA bulletin, failed mechanically or were moved in error.

The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has released its preliminary report into the tragic Air India crash.

The focus of the report is on a movement of the fuel cutoff switches, as recorded by the aircraft's flight data recorder (part of the `black box' system), which shows they were moved from RUN to CUTOFF within seconds of the Boeing 787 lifting off from the runway.

These switches are located on the throttle quadrant, the central pedestal between the two pilots, and are directly integrated into the thrust lever assembly. A guard covers the switches to prevent accidental activation.

The FAA warned about the accidental movement of cockpit switches in 2018

On December 17, 2018, the FAA issued a Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin (SAIB NM‑18‑33) relating to the same model of fuel switches.

Some Boeing 737 operators had discovered that the locking mechanism, designed to prevent accidental movement of the fuel cutoff switches, had not always been installed properly.

The guard lock should be a lift-and-throw mechanism, requiring effort to uncover the switches before they can be moved. However, multiple Boeing 737 operators found that the guard lock was not properly engaged.

Air India's affected aircraft, a Boeing 787-8 registered as VT-ANB, uses a similar fuel control switch design, part number 4TL837-3D.

This meant the switch could potentially be moved without lifting the guard, presenting a risk of accidental activation and inflight engine shutdown. It should be noted that, although the risk was present, no accidental inflight shutdowns had been recorded.

New on MoA:
Trump Extorts Companies To Pay Taxes On Exports [_link] pic.twitter.com/PW0mm8sed4

— Moon of Alabama (@MoonofA) August 11, 2025

Federal Gov't will take 15% share of AI chips sales to China ...

What Trump's Nvidia and AMD China deal means for the world

Nvidia developed the H20 chip, and AMD developed the MI308 chip, especially for the Chinese market.

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Mira Murati, fresh from her role at OpenAI, is steering this bold new venture. @miramurati

An unprecedented $2 billion seed round, one of the largest ever in Silicon Valley, positions the startup at a $12 billion valuation.

Top-tier backers like Andreessen Horowitz, Nvidia,... pic.twitter.com/ZILQPwNAd1

— LNP AI Services (@LNPServices) July 17, 2025

Mira Murati's record-breaking $2 billion seed round made the impossible possible for female founders | Fortune |

Twitter @MiraMurati

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China has proposed the Global AI Governance Initiative to help bridge the technological divide and prevent sci-tech innovation from becoming a game of the rich countries and the wealthy, a spokesperson said Tuesday [_link] pic.twitter.com/67LM81UdG8

— China Xinhua News (@XHNews) March 4, 2025

Canada Drops U.S. Factories: 300 Plants See Contracts Vanish Overnight | The Global Lens |

Canada has just cut off U.S. factories, canceling over 300 contracts overnight and leaving plants across Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and beyond scrambling to survive. Once-reliable Canadian orders for auto parts, steel, machinery, and food products have shifted to Europe, Asia, and South America, devastating American manufacturers and workers. With layoffs mounting and supply chains collapsing, experts warn this trade rupture could mark the biggest realignment in North American industry in decades.

The World's Highest Bridge is Almost Complete - Huajiang Canyon

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European banks hit by rogue PayPal payments worth 'billions' [link]

— Mark Wright (@markwright__) August 27, 2025

A real pleasure to welcome my friend @JDVance and his family to Chevening.

Before beginning our bilateral, the Vice President gave me fishing tips, Kentucky style.

The special relationship makes the UK and the US stronger, safer and better off. pic.twitter.com/MvadqvbpMB

— David Lammy (@DavidLammy) August 8, 2025

Defiant nuns flee care home for their abandoned convent in the Alps [_link]

— BBC News (UK) (@BBCNews) September 13, 2025